RAC Indoor Meeting Minutes 6/26/2026

Attendance 

  • In-person: 33
  • Zoom: 5

Date: June 26, 2026

Co-Chair: Blair Groden

Pre-Meeting Social:

Food was served.  People socialized.    It was a good time had by all.

Meeting Presentation: 

Meeting Topic: What If Our Moon Didn’t Exist?

Speaker: Ron Monti

Meeting Description: Life on Earth would be very different (and might not be possible at all) if it were not for our Moon. From the tides to the Earth’s rotation and tilted axis to tectonic plate activity, this talk will cover the many reasons why the Moon (and how it was created) is so important.

Elections:

Current RAC officers are:

  • Co-chair – Dana Bostic
  • Co-chair – Susan Herring 
  • Co-chair – Blair Groden
  • Treasurer – Steven Izzo
  • Secretary – Ann Murphy

The nominees on the ballot are:

  • Co-chair – Dana Bostic
  • Co-chair – Susan Herring 
  • Co-chair – Blair Groden
  • Treasurer – Steven Izzo
  • Secretary – Ann Murphy

Voted on the nominees.

  • Yes: 29
  • No: 0

The vote was seconded and the nominees were voted in.

Astronomical League Report:

ALCOR AL Awards:

Awards for the June 26th RAC indoor meeting:

New/Holdovers:

  • Dean F Herring – Herschel Society Silver 1200 – Cert
  • Eric Allain – Lunar Eyes Only – Cert
  • Eric Allain – Lunar (Telescope) – Cert and Pin
  • Mohammad Adan Asif – Binocular Messier – Cert and Pin
  • Mustafa M. Asif – Lunar Eyes Only – Cert

Dean’s AL Messier/Caldwell Monthly Challenge for 2026

  • Blair Groden – May & June

Upcoming Events:

  • June 27 – The Exchange (Raleigh) – Canceled
  • July 10 – Second Fridays at Three Bear Acres (Creedmoor) – Moved due to July 4th holiday.  Second Friday is only temporary.
  • July 10 – RACOBS
  • July 11 – Dix Park SUN-flowers (2 shifts)
  • July 18 – Intro to Eyepieces + Eyepiece Cleaning (RAC Class)
  • July 24 – Indoor Meeting
  • July 25 – The Exchange (Raleigh)
  • Aug 7 – First Fridays with TLC at Three Bear Acres (Creedmoor)
  • Aug 8 – James Creek Cider House (Cameron)
  • Aug 12 – The Willard (Raleigh)

Treasurer’s Report:

  • Memberships:
    • RAC memberships: 527
    • Cancelled Memberships: 0
    • Admin memberships: 1
    • TOTAL memberships: 528
  • Financials:
    • Checking: $2,205.94
    • Savings: $24,653.47
    • Special Purpose: $0.73
    • Astro League dues paid for 2026/2027 – $3,244.50

The draft budget was sent via email to all members on June 15.

The main items that are changing:

  • Loaner Scope is $600/yr = $50/month   so change to $1200/year = $100/month
  • Social is currently $300/yr = $75/quarter  so change to $600/yr = $150/quarter
  • Astro League dues are up 5.7% this year as the Membership total is at 525.  2026/2027 dues paid on June 25th was $3160.00.
  • If we continue on this path we will break the 600 account max which will force purchasing the next MembershipWorks tier (1200 accounts) which is ~$1400/yr basically double our current cost.

A vote was held for accepting the budget.

  • Yes: 29
  • No: 0

The vote was seconded and the budget was accepted.

Outreach Report

  • May 7 + 12 – Martin Magnet Middle School (Raleigh)
  • May 16 – James Creek Cider House (Cameron)
  • May 28 – Sycamore Creek Elementary School (Raleigh)
  • May 15 – First Friday with TLC (Creedmoor) (canceled)
  • June 4 – The Hartwell (Raleigh) (postponed from May 7)

Need Volunteers

Safety:

Members interested in First Aid/CPR/AED training can register themselves by finding a convenient class here:

https://www.redcross.org/local/north-carolina/take-a-class/cpr-raleigh-nc

Loaner Scope Report

Available Checked Out In for Repair Available
Cassegrains 8 4 1
Dobsonians 8 0 4
Maksutovs 3 0 2
Refractors 0 0 2
Reflectors 1 1 3
Binoculars 2 0 2
Accessories 8 2 39
Outreach 3 0 6

Education Committee Report:

  • Next RAC Class: Selecting Eyepieces to Match Your Scope & How to Keep Them Clean
  • Date: July 18th
  • Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
  • In-Person only – Cherry Building
  • This RAC Class will involve an eyepiece cleaning workshop followed by a presentation on eyepieces and other general topics!
  • Registration will open on Saturday June 27.
  • If you previously registered, you will have to register again.

Webmaster Report – No Updates

Web team Report: No Updates

Committee Reports

Social Events

Thank you to everyone who came to tonight’s pre-meeting social. 

Mark your calendars: RAC Family Picnic 

  • Saturday September 5, 2026
  • Time: 11am- TBA
  • (Chris’ in-laws’ farm.  Address to come later.)

Social Media: No Updates

A/V – No Updates

Imaging Report: No Updates

Key-Holders Report 

  • Application for Big Woods and 3BA Key Holders Now Open
  • Email was sent out on May 28th (at least for Big Woods) with information and links to forms to fill out.
  • The application process will remain open until July 31, 2026.

Socialize after the meeting at Sammy’s.